2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS vs 2001 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra

It's hard to believe the Mustang and Camaro have been butting heads, burning rubber, and racing for pinks for 35 years. But since there's a 35th-Anniversary Camaro, it must be so. And it's likely to be the swan song for this much-loved shootout -- at least for a while, as the current F-bodies evaporate from the Chevrolet and Pontiac lineups at the end of the '02 model year.

With the rebirth of the Thunderbird, Ford has proven that a legendary nameplate can take a vacation, then return to work successfully. Will the Camaro do the same? That depends on which jungle drums you're listening to at the moment. We hear of unofficial internal efforts to create a next-generation Camaro. Yet there is no announced, or even approved, program to replace it. So figure that the Next Camaro probably won't show up in Chevy dealers until at least the '05 model year.

Which brings us to the tire-shredding twosome on these pages. The SVT Cobra and 35th-Anniversary Camaro SS represent the highest performance versions of their respective models currently offered. And they meet-once again-at interesting crossroads in their development paths.

Besides the usual (and not wholly tasteful) anniversary stripe-and-badge-job, this Camaro packs more punch than a standard Z28. It comes in the form of an SS-spec 325-hp version of the Chevy's rumbling, grumbling, Vette-derived 5.7L LS1 V-8; a factory-installed ram-air-style hood and cat-back center-outlet exhaust system are supposed to be good for a few more ponies, though they didn't prove so on our tester. Additional 35th-Anniversary accoutrements include the aforementioned graphics package, black-finished SS wheels with machined edges, and anodized brake calipers.

You can order your 35th-Anniversary SS in coupe, T-Top coupe (our test car), or convertible form, with your choice of a 4L60-E four-speed automatic or a T-56 six-speed manual -- why anyone would go for the slushbox, we haven't a clue. The only color choice is Rally Red over a black/charcoal leather interior. And if the 35th Anniversary SS badges on fenders, dash, and seats aren't large enough, there's a special Trophy Mat in the luggage area bearing an embroidered logo that must be a foot long.

Musclecar fans will remember the Case of the Missing Horsepower that plagued SVT's Mustang a couple years back. If not, here's a quick recap: The '99 Cobra received a mid-life makeover, an independent rear suspension, and a revised 4.6L DOHC V-8 rated at 320 hp, up from the '96-'98 model's 305. The supposedly uprated motor couldn't even match dyno sheets with those of the old, so a somewhat embarrassed Ford Special Vehicle engineering group had to redevelop much of the intake and exhaust systems. Any '99 cars already in the hands of consumers were retrofitted, and no model-year 2000 Cobras were produced, save for the limited-production race-car-with-license-plates Cobra R.